HACKWORTH TO SHARE HIS INSIGHT ON NORTH KOREA ON YOUR WORLD IN A FEW MINUTES!!!

Fox News

[Sparta]

The self-proclaimed "America's most decorated soldier" is about to share his insights on the current situation in North Korea.

[river rat]

"You and Hackworth still seem to have no concept of modern airpower and still insist on focusing on the Billy Mitchell inter-service pissing contests of the 1930’s."

"and you both seem to be more interested in fighting past wars and in fighting silly inter-service rivalries than in learning how wars are fought and won by the U.S. in the year 2002."

Which of my posts led you to address this to me?
Semper Fi

[Steel Wolf]

Hack's the man when he's talking about what's wrong with military culture these days, and cutting through bulls#%t, which the military has in spades. His big problem is that he's been out of the loop for so long, and has so many axes to grind, he ignores his own BS meter when he's talking about current operations.

[Always A Marine]

...this sentence is right out of the Clinton/Gore playbook. Just substitute "Clinton" for "Hackworth", and "feed a hungry child" for "reinforce the 2nd Infantry Division"...

The Clintonistas used that line to turn the argument away from issues and toward personalities and emotions. I prefer to steer the conversation away from personalities and emotions and back to the very real issue of how we can adequately reinforce our 37,000 man commitment in Korea while also fighting a war in SWA. If one disagrees with Hackworth's position, he should make his case. But ad hominem sniping at the person of the messenger is juvenile behavior which obscures the vital issues and accomplishes nothing.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

Agreed! Again, a little perspective here. There are still qualified leaders in the armed forces, and a joint operations perspective has made them better than any of past conflicts. Had jointness requirements been required during WWII, Nimitz probably would not have killed so many Marines and Soldiers during his operations. Hackworth was good, but there are probably better that are in uniform today. All i have said is that one cannot dismiss this guy's experience just because he has some character flaws. Grant was a drunk, remember?

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

Hey Dummy!

It's ROK, not ROC!

[Steel Wolf]

Hack's got great insights, and every now and then he'll come out with an article blasting away at the idiocy of the modern leadership (incompetent officers and foolish policies especially) that gets emailed across half the military because he's dead on the money.

What doesn't make the rounds is his 'pre-game analysis' or his operational insights. He's an old warhorse, and we love him for that. He's a glory hound, sure, but he's stuck his neck out and earned it.

What he is, is an old rock star (like Ozzy, except that he's not a brain fried, burned out lunatic) who doesn't realize that he's no longer cutting edge, and no one wants to tell him because they loved his work, back in the day.

[sneakypete]

You're right. If i'm not mistaken MacAuthur was our most decorated hero.

McArthur doesn't count. He put himself in for most of them,including the MOH.

The claim made on Hackworth is that he is our most decorated LIVING hero.

Even that's not true. The most decorated (counting ONLY valor awards and Purple Hearts) is LTC Robert Howard,retired. He is the only man I have ever heard of who was put in for a Medal of Honor on THREE separate occasions before he finally got one. ALL his valor awards were earned as a enlisted man,too. Not only did he never put himself in for anything,but I know for a fact he turned some down because he didn't think he had done anything special to deserve them. Bob is supposed to have more valor awards that Audie Murphy AND Sgt Alvin York,combined. Yet nobody has ever heard of him. In case you are wondering,he is the LTC who testified before Congress on tv that he had seen ironclad evidence that the North Koreans were holding US POW's from VN in North Korea while working as a intelligence officer in Korea in the late 70's.

BTW,Hackworth knows who Howard is.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

Col Howard was an SFC with SOG in Vietnam, and acc to John Plaster, it is as you have said. i wasn't aware that Howard is still alive. Incorrect about MacAuthur however. Most of his awards are from WWI. Although he was chief of staff of 42nd Inf (Rainbow), and later a brigade Co, all medals had to go through Pershing, who was rather tight with them. MacAuthur's MOH was bogus, but compensation for the one denied by Pershing for his actions at Chate de Cotillian during the Romainge Heights campaign. Oddly enough, the 69th NY infantry regiment was the most highly decorated unit in WWI. it was part of MacAuthur's 84th brigade. Hard to understand in light of the fact that Pershing utterly Hated the 42nd division (they weren't regular army you see). The claim concerning Hackworth is not ONLY Valor and Purple hearts. My hat is off to Col Howard none the less, as well as any of the guys in SOG.

[sneakypete]

Col Howard was an SFC with SOG in Vietnam, and acc to John Plaster, it is as you have said.

I THINK he was a E-5 when he first got there. I think he had just made SFC when I met him.

i wasn't aware that Howard is still alive

Yup,and still fairly active considering all his aches and pains from old injuries. The man is unbelievably tough.

[sneakypete]

The claim concerning Hackworth is not ONLY Valor and Purple hearts.

Yeah,but they are the only ones that count.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

it is getting late here on the east coast, and i have to call it a night, unless you guys want to try and interpret things like L;gaa ev'[ehl 'k . This has been a wonderful experience. Kudo's to go_star_go for some private assistance to this first timer. Hope to be trading thoughts with you all soon! Good Night!

[DCPatriot]

The cynical bastard that I've become...it wouldn't surprise me to learn that Hack is our version of Tokyo Rose, getting as many Iraqi and North Korean soldiers to stop pissing in their pants and come out in the open when the shooting starts.

How else can you explain his constant presence in the face of that terrible scorecard of his on the 91 Gulf War?

[Light Speed]

China has nearly a million citizens transiting to and fro from South Korea doing business yearly...add to that millions in business investments in South Korea.
China is just starting to see the flow go her way.....as shop closes in Mexico..and other third world nations..and comes to set up in China.
China would ruin her chance for power..and the wealth needed for the more important play..that being Space..where China definetly wants to be ahead of Japan.
Were China to allow North Korea to cross the DMZ or even try..it would be brinkmanship this world has not seen since Pearl Harbor.
No allusions here...its gamed to go nuclear quite quickly.
Neutronic artillery and airdrop..allong with cruise missiles...fairly clean as nukes go...the end of the North Korean military.
A small conflict would end business reality for China...be decades again before anyone trusted them.
China likes these confrontations..its better than war..and they get things from them..no foolin..they do.

North Korea and Nukes...China definitely at the $500 chip table.

[exmoor]

Let's see what America's publicity WHORE has to say......

I thought that was Geraldo Rivera..........

[Polybius]

Which of my posts led you to address this (post #129) to me? Semper Fi

Post #112 where you agreed with my response in #110 to Calvinist_Dark_Lord.

The post was adressed to Calvinist_Dark_Lord with pings to you and Sparta as it was a continuation of the same debate regarding what you, Sparta and I see as Hackworth's mid-20th Century view of early 21st Century warfare.

[wtc911]

ROK Armed Forces size:

Army - 550,000 active in 22 Divisions.

Air Force - 500 plus aircraft including F-16s.

Navy - 200 plus ships and 2 Marine Divisions with armor.

Armor - 2,300 plus tanks.

Reserves - 4.5 million.

Defense spending increased in every year since 1997.

Hardly defenseless.

[wtc911]

Without Russian and British sacrifices in '42 and '43 we would not have had the time to build up the strength necessary to fight on two fronts. Your WW2 analogy is not valid in today's scenarios.

[river rat]

Thank you...for the explanation..

It's easy for me to get confused --- recently!
Especially since I received a critical and substantial supply of Wild Turkey (adult beverage) for Christmas --- from those that TRULY love me!
Semper Fi

[Lady Heron]

Hardly defenseless.

It is very doubtful that they can handle them alone. Running out on them when we have a deffnese pact with them would be cowardly.